Apple Finally Confronts Malware Problem

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Apple has officially acknowledged the presence of the MacDefender
malware, and has posted step-by-step instructions on how to
remove it from infected computers.

"A recent phishing scam has targeted Mac users by redirecting
them from legitimate websites to fake websites which tell them
that their computer is infected with a virus," Apple wrote
yesterday (May 24) in an official support
document.

The three-part bulletin shows Mac users how to avoid installing
MacDefender — also known as MacProtector and MacSecurity —
and exactly how to remove it, by finding and
deleting the Trojan from the activity monitor.

The announcement came yesterday (May 24) at the tail end of a
month-long controversy surrounding Apple's public response — or
lack thereof — to the growing number of customer complaints about
the invasive
Mac-specific malware.

The probe into Apple's official stance was spearheaded by ZDNet
reporter Ed Bott, who obtained a confidential internal memo from
Apple that, initially, instructed its AppleCare support
representatives to avoid discussing the malware with customers.

Apple will also roll out a Mac OS X software update in the next
few days "that will automatically find and remove MacDefender
malware and its known variants," and will help protect users with
an "explicit warning" if they accidentally download MacDefender.

UPDATE: Just hours after Apple's announcement, the criminals
behind MacDefender released a new, more deceptive and dangerous
variant of the malware, Computerworld reported.

Called MacGuard, the new malware prompts users with the same
warning, scaring them into downloading the phony software. Unlike
MacDefender, however, MacGuard doesn't require users to enter a
password, and installs itself with just a few clicks of the
mouse.

Experts at the security firm Sophos have written a
blog posting detailing exactly how to change your account
settings in Safari to avoid becoming a victim of this new
MacDefender variant.